Photo generated with Canva AI, 2026.
While stationed in Hawaii in 2015, my boss and teammates decided that we should participate in the annual Honolulu Marathon. I had never completed more than 13 miles in a single setting - which made this a worthy challenge. I was frequently asked, “What is your goal for the marathon?” With a smile on my face, I would answer, “To win, of course!” Initially I wasn’t joking, but after looking at the previous winners’ times and doing some rudimentary math, I quickly realized that a winning time was a little out of my league. So, I sought a more realistic goal for myself: to achieve a qualifying time for the Boston Marathon.
With that clarity, I devised a 10-week game plan that included a weekly “long run” and three to four “shorter runs”, each with a specific purpose tied to my overall objective. At this point, the only thing left to do was to execute the training plan, day-by-day. Despite competing priorities, the game plan was clear, simple and doable. That experience reinforced a lesson I’ve carried ever since: success is rarely the result of hope alone – it requires deliberate planning.
This time of year, many folks revisit last year’s resolutions and wonder what went wrong. The hopes of a new year, often drowned out by the realities of life. So, why is it so difficult to achieve goals? Often, we attribute failure to a lack of discipline - and there may be some truth to that. But, that explanation leaves individuals with little guidance outside of “try harder next year.” If you truly want to make progress in both your personal and professional life, consider refining your goal setting process. Goals must move beyond broad aspirations or vague statements of intent; they require progressive, measurable steps. Over time, I’ve found a simple framework that consistently drives progress forward, regardless of scale.
Set Realistic Goals
When setting goals, people are tempted to aim beyond their current capability. Instead of creating goals, they create wish lists. Winning the Honolulu Marathon would have been inspiring, but it was far from realistic. While goals should stretch you, a dose of reality is necessary to prevent discouragement when you fall short. A humble, realistic approach to goal setting creates clear guideposts that direct individuals toward sustained growth.
This principle applies equally to organizations. Leaders often set aggressive, unsubstantiated growth targets without grounding them in enough data or capacity - “We’re going to double sales every quarter in the new year!” While well-intended, these goals can generate anxiety and frustration in a workforce and erode credibility. Effective leaders assess their current position before defining where they want to go, ensuring that the goals are challenging yet realistic enough to actually drive growth.
Develop “Next Steps”
Once your goals are developed, the next step is determining how to achieve them. In other words, it’s time to make a plan. The development of a simple, executable plan is a fundamental part of the goal setting process. Qualifying for the Boston Marathon wasn’t accidental – it required deliberate, consistent actions over time. Every element of my training plan served as a stepping stone towards achieving my desired time.
The best action plans share two traits: specificity and simplicity. Consider a national retailer seeking to reinvigorate its customer experience. Rather than pursuing vague improvements, the organization implemented four concrete actions - price-matching, in-home consultations, 24/7 support, and in-store kiosks. The clarity of the plan translated directly into improved customer confidence and results. Execution succeeds when plans are simple enough to act on and specific enough to measure.
Track Progress
Don’t underestimate this step because tracking is what turns intent into results. Two dimensions matter: effectiveness and compliance. Effectiveness measures whether actions are producing the desired outcomes, such as monitoring key performance indicators that demonstrate progress towards our goal. During my training, the weekly “long runs” validated my pace and endurance, enabling timely adjustments.
Compliance, however, was equally as powerful. It was rather satisfying to physically check off a box on my training plan attached to the fridge, each time a run was complete. This practice is best described as celebrating little victories to motivate further action. This is why we see signs that read “232 days of consecutive, injury-free work days” or football teams with stickers on their helmets for positive contributions. Organizations use the same principle - public recognition, performance dashboards, safety milestones - to reinforce disciplined execution. These signals celebrate progress, reinforce accountability, and sustain adherence to the action plan.
Putting this framework into practice doesn’t need to be complex or overwhelming. In fact, the time and effort involved in implementation should be liberating in the long-run. By setting realistic goals, defining clear next steps, and tracking both effectiveness and compliance, leaders provide a tangible methodology for executing the achievement of goals. This systematic approach transforms goals from aspirations into sustained progress - and builds a foundation for continuous improvement.
So now, it’s your turn to identify your “marathon goal” for the year ahead – and put a plan in place to achieve it!
Authored By: Mike “Loco” Uyboco, Director
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